Is Africa the Dark Continent when it comes to the advertising industry? On the contrary, says Alan Edgar, Regional Creative Director, Ogilvy Africa and one of regional judges for African and Middle Eastern categories at this year's Loeries. It's alive and vibrant, but in dire need of world-class tertiary training institutions to tap into that potential.

The year 2013 for most brands, especially the ones coping with saturated markets in developed countries, will be a decisive one. Incorporating Africa into their corporate brand strategy, if they haven't done so, will be the better part of valour, so to speak.

No, the concepts of "tribalism", "gamification" and "engagement" aren't a promo for the latest computer game, but are in fact the trends that will characterise the way companies and consumers interact in 2013. The branding industry is constantly developing and. while the following trends are evolutions rather than dynamic, short-term changes, we believe there are 10 areas that will define the brandscape over the next year.

DUBAI, UAE: The 6th Dubai Lynx Awards, one of the premier awards celebrating creative excellence in MENA's advertising and communications industry, has received a total of 2037 entries from 17 countries.

Samsung Electronics, the long-time supporter of African football, is rallying fans across the continent to show their passion for the game by launching a series of interactive live and online events for fans to gather and share the excitement of the Orange Africa Cup of Nations 2012, taking place in Gabon-Equatorial Guinea.

Bizcommunity.com has now expanded its operations into 16 new sectors and will soon venture into another 17, providing a whole new range of target audiences for advertisers. The most critical aspect of this is the quality of content and this is a formal invitation to you to become a recognised contributor on Bizcommunity.

CANNES, FRANCE: A total of 28 828 entries from 90 countries (725 from SA) have been submitted to the Cannes Lions 58th International Festival of Creativity, the international annual awards for creative advertising and communications. This is the most entries in the history of the festival.

The sixth Maputo International Advertising Festival will take place from 25-27 May 2011, AMEP - the Mozambican Marketing, Advertising and Public Relations Association announced yesterday. The festival recognises advertising agencies, producers and communications companies worldwide especially from Africa and the Indian Ocean regions.

The recent global recession has changed our world forever. In a new digital age, characterised by oversupply and too many product types in almost every market, the challenge for companies will be to locate and capture pools of high-profit demand and be able to move with speed and flexibility to take advantage of them. Here are 11 trends for 2011.